[Nettime-bold] briefing 02.04.2001

[ebalkan@soros.org.mk]

            "EURO-BALKAN" INSTITUTE ON MACEDONIAN CRISIS
                             02-04-2001
                             CONTENTS:

- Daily briefing from Macedonian press about 
Macedonian crisis
- Daily briefing from international press about 
Macedonian crisis
- Supplement: "Fakti"'s Emin Azemi's column in 
today's issue

           a) DAILY BRIEFING FROM MACEDONIAN PRESS ABOUT 
                         MACEDONIAN CRISIS
                                  
STATEMENT OF THE SPOKESMAN OF THE MINISTRY OF 
DEFENSE
The spokesman of the Macedonian Army, Blagoja 
Markovski, evaluated the situation on the 
northern border, until the afternoon hours, as 
peaceful and with no provocations by the 
retreated Kosovo terrorists registered. He said 
that some minor provocations happened on several 
occasions on Saturday morning in the region of 
the watchtower Chashka, towards the Radusha 
mine. The units of the Macedonian army responded 
with fire, with no casualties on our side. Until 
the end of the day, shots were heard in Tetovo. 
According to police sources, the police fired 
warning shots at a person moving on illegal 
ground, in the neighborhood of one of the police 
points in the city. Markovski confirmed that the 
villages in the Tetovo region, the bases where 
the terrorists fired from, also the villages 
Vejce, Veshala and Brodec, are freed from the 
presence of terrorists and mines. The action is 
accomplished in the northern border villages as 
well – Malino, Brest, Ramno, Grachani and the 
other villages. (“VEST”)

ANOTHER CONFLICT BETWEEN DPA AND PDP
The Democratic Party of the Albanians accused 
the president of PDP, Mr. Ymer Ymeri, that he 
was a collaborator of the ex-Yugoslav Secret 
Security Service in the past. DPA calls upon 
original documents, i.e. Ymeri’s consent to 
become a collaborator of UDBA (the ex-Yugoslav 
Secret Security Service). The document is 
registered as number 3760 under the name “legal 
liaison”. DPA in its statement makes further 
accusations that Ymeri had received 50 000 DM to 
communicate the interests of the Albanians in 
Macedonia. (“MAKEDONIJA DENES)

PDP'S (PARTY FOR DEMOCRATIC PROSPERITY) COUNTER-
STATEMENT: THACI AND XHAFERI HAVE NEITHER 
NATIONAL, NOR POLITICAL MORAL
"Attacking the institution President of PDP, 
Menduh Thaci wants to hide the viewpoints of his 
party on elimination, espionage and dividing the 
Albanians, to hide his past and to remain in the 
Government splattered with Albanian blood. He 
thinks that by attacking the others, he will 
take the attention off his anti-Albanian 
actions. Poor Thaci, you should know that you 
and Xhaferi have neither national nor political 
moral to continue to discuss the Albanians’ 
interests." This is part of PDP's response to 
the accusations of the vice president of the 
DPA, Menduh Thaci that the leader of the PDP, 
Ymer Ymeri, was a collaborator of the ex-
Yugoslav Secret Security Service and the 
Macedonian DBK (Macedonian Security Service), 
which the party supported with facts. (“UTRINSKI 
VESNIK”)

PRESIDENT TRAJKOVSKI’S ADDRESS TO THE PUBLIC
Macedonia has survived in a very difficult 
environment, in conditions where, for a long 
time already, it has not had a regular border – 
crossing with Kosovo, SR Yugoslavia. The effects 
of war in the region and the greater state 
ambitions radicalize the situation, says the 
President, Mr. Boris Trajkovski, in his public 
address. During the military operations, the 
army demonstrated great professionalism and in 
severely difficult conditions, proved that the 
trust in its high capacity is more than 
justified. The opinion of the international 
community is that, by way of using a combination 
of strength and moderation, the Macedonian army 
efficiently and successfully deals with all 
militant threats to our democracy. That is why I 
most severely condemn the efforts to organize 
dissatisfaction among the soldiers' families. It 
is a direct attack to the defense system, 
something that brings results only to the 
military extremists. If their aim is to 
undermine the moral of the Macedonian Army by 
infiltrating confusion among the citizens for 
party interests, then they obviously demonstrate 
a serious lack of responsibility and awareness 
for the nation's interests. Those that are 
attempting to limit and deform the political 
process by setting deadlines and making 
democracy a hostage to violence, have a similar 
profile. I appeal to all citizens and political 
factors, regardless of their ethnicity, to give 
complete, unreserved support to the army and 
police, because their activities are for all 
that we have achieved together – peace and 
stability, democracy and tolerance, human rights 
and market economy. (“NOVA MAKEDONIJA”)

PRIME MINISTER’S, LJUBCHO GEORGIEVSKI’S, PRESS 
CONFERENCE
The President of the Macedonian Government, 
Ljubcho Georgievski, on the press conference on 
Saturday in the Government Information Center, 
taking a look at the activities conducted until 
now by the Macedonian Security Forces and their 
successful dealing with terrorism on our 
territory, as well as the Ultimatum of the 
leader of the SDSM, Branko Crvenkovski, stated 
that in the following days he will invite 
Crvenkovski to discuss his idea for forming a 
wide coalition Government. As Georgievski said, 
he has never in his life, until now, accepted an 
ultimatum, but this time he will make an 
exception in order to find out if he, for once, 
has honest intentions, or this is just a new 
attempt to completely destroy the country, on 
which task the president Crvenkovski has been 
working in the last six months. Answering the 
question of a journalist, if he intends to give 
green light to the change of the Constitution, 
Georgievski underlined that he personally is 
against this and that no one, to this point, has 
pressured the Government with this issue. (“NOVA 
MAKEDONIJA”)

          b) DAILY BRIEFING FROM INTERNATIONAL PRESS ABOUT 
                         MACEDONIAN CRISIS

BREATHING ROOM IN THE BALKANS
NATO should begin to think seriously about 
giving power to any community that wants it in 
Bosnia, in Kosovo and perhaps privately urge the 
Macedonian government to do the same. The 
Albanian enclave in Macedonia could easily be 
detached into its own entity. Then if the 
Albanians of Kosovo and Macedonia want to stay 
separate or join hands, it’s their choice. If 
the Serbs of Bosnia want to join hands with 
Belgrade, good luck. As long as it is done 
through negotiations and in peace, what 
difference does it make how many new statelets 
arise? All we need is a few new chairs at the 
United Nations. NATO is now primarily a Balkan 
policing and reconstruction organization. The 
point is not that it needs an exit. The point is 
that it needs a strategy. (Excerpts from 
Newsweek)

FIGHTING IS CAUSED BY FEW ALBANIANS
Three people with direct experience in the 
Balkans have told the U.S. Commission on 
Security and Cooperation in Europe that the 
majority of ethnic Albanians do not support the 
cause of fellow Albanians fighting in Macedonia 
and Kosovo. They say the fighting in the region 
has been caused by only a few ethnic Albanians. 
And one says the fighting in Macedonia was 
exported from Kosovo by people whom he described 
as "extremists" who are bitter about losing last 
October's municipal elections in the Yugoslav 
province. The witnesses were General Joseph 
Ralston, the supreme allied commander in Europe 
for the NATO; James Pardew, a senior U.S. 
presidential adviser for Kosovo and Bosnia; and 
Daan Everts, head of the Kosovo mission for the 
OSCE. They testified Thursday (28 March) before 
the U.S. Commission in Washington. Everts told 
the hearing that the trouble in both Kosovo and 
now in Macedonia is probably rooted in Kosovo's 
uncertain future. According to Everts, ethnic 
Albanian extremists are bitter that they lost 
Kosovo's municipal elections last autumn and are 
exporting their violence to Macedonia. "It's 
always easy to be far away and encourage 
rebellious activities. As you know, it's quite 
comfortable if you sit in Switzerland, and all 
you have to do is send some money." (Excerpts 
from RFE/RL)

ALBANIANS GIVE MACEDONIA TILL APRIL 9TH TO OPEN 
TALKS 
Arben Xhaferi, the leader of Macedonia's biggest 
ethnic Albanian political party said on Saturday 
that he had given the government until April 9 
to open talks on constitutional reform and avoid 
further ethnic conflict. He warned that if the 
government refused to open talks on granting 
Albanians equal constitutional rights with 
Macedonia's Slav majority before the deadline 
then DPA ministers in the ruling coalition could 
boycott the signing ceremony. "They have not 
gone, they are here, in civilian clothes. They 
will see the outcome of our negotiations and if 
they are not happy they will continue (to fight) 
again," he said. "If the violence continues and 
we have casualties among civilians or the 
destruction of their villages we cannot stay in 
government. The guerrillas didn't withdraw 
because of military operations. They withdrew 
because they were under pressure from the 
international community -- the U.S., the EU -- 
and from Albanian leaders in Albania and 
Kosovo.” The constitution must be changed. This 
would mean equal status for the Albanian 
language in official use, decentralizing power 
towards municipal authorities and proportional 
employment of Albanians in state posts. He 
suggested the state flag be changed, and the 
current Macedonian flag become a national banner 
with equal status to the Albanian black-eagle on 
a red field, but said that the name of the state 
should not be an issue, but he insisted that his 
party did not seek to split Macedonia into 
separate ethnic entities. "Every normal Albanian 
wants to be united, because for the last eight 
decades they have been badly treated. They are 
very tired of the oppression against them. But 
this is emotion, politics is something else. We 
would go into confrontation with very strong 
factors ... it is not practical," he said. 
(Excerpts from Agence France Presse) But the 
rebels, together with the National Democratic 
party, a newly formed radical group, want 
Macedonia to become a federation, with ethnic 
Albanians taking full control of western 
Macedonia where most of the minority lives. 
"We've waited 10 years for the Albanians to get 
their rights and it hasn't happened," said Fadil 
Bajrami, a former DPA deputy and founder member 
of the NDP. "We see a federation, along the 
lines of Belgium, as the future in Macedonia." 
"We need a fresh start. There is a lot of 
sympathy among ethnic Albanians for what the NLA 
fighters are trying to achieve," said Liman 
Kurtishi, a senior member of the new National 
Democratic party. (Excerpts from Financial Times)

MODERATE ALBANIANS ON BOARD, EXTREMISTS ISOLATED
EU leaders, well placed sources said, bluntly 
told President Trajkovski in Stockholm last 
weekend to exercise restraint while fighting the 
ethnic Albanian UCK (national liberation army) 
rebels in the hills above the northern city of 
Tetovo. "You have to keep the moderate Albanians 
on board and isolate the extremists," he was 
warned. "Any action which could undermine this 
goal would be a mistake." Mr. Solana also 
coordinated policy with the US secretary of 
state, Colin Powell, and is urging him to visit 
Skopje. EU sources say that rewriting the 
country's constitution is a key demand, but it 
is not clear whether the parties are prepared to 
do that. Under pressure from the EU, the two 
sides are being asked to achieve within a few 
weeks what they have failed to do in the 10 
years since independence from socialist 
Yugoslavia in 1991. (Excerpts from The Guardian)

KOSOVO'S INDEPENDENCE IS THE SOLUTION FOR 
PEACEFULL BALKANS
There is only one solution for an enduring peace 
in the Balkans. That is independence for Kosovo. 
Recent events are part of a bigger picture. 
Taking them into account, it is possible to see 
how the latest chaos presents a unique 
opportunity to end a decade of conflict. A year 
ago, to offer one instance, U.N. KFOR troops 
arrested an Albanian from Macedonia, living in 
Kosovo, named Xhavit Hasani. Suspected of murder 
and ethnic terrorism, he was extradited to 
Skopje, whereupon members of his gang promptly 
kidnapped four Macedonian police to procure his 
release. Intelligence sources now identify 
Hasani as a leader of the new National 
Liberation Army around his native village of 
Tanusveci, where the first fighting broke out 
that plunged Macedonia into crisis. The script 
could go like this. If Montenegro declares 
independence, Yugoslavia should be considered 
formally defunct. The UN resolution that 
dispatched NATO to Kosovo mandates the province 
to Yugoslavia, not Serbia. Kosovo's future 
should be negotiated as such. One former KLA 
soldier, speaking recently to a liberal, 
Westernized columnist for a Pristina daily, put 
it like this: "You miss the essential thing, if 
you think my friends and I do not know the value 
of the kalashnikov for achieving a political 
solution." The message is loud and clear. 
(Excerpts from Los Angeles Times)

EU STEPS UP EFFORTS FOR MACEDONIA TALKS
On the next week's meeting in Luxembourg, the EU foreign ministers intend to 
sign a stability and association accord with Macedonia - essentially an 
economic and political incentive for the republic to start reforms in return 
for eventually negotiating to join the EU. If talks begin, EU officials hope 
Ljubco Georgievski, Macedonian prime minister, will finally draw up reforms 
spanning political, economic and inter-ethnic relations. Mr. Solana insisted 
the EU would not lead the talks but would be a "facilitator". EU officials said 
reforms were crucial for diffusing tension between the Macedonian Slav majority 
and the ethnic Albanian minority, weakening the appeal of radical Albanians, 
and maintaining regional stability. The EU wants to reengage Washington, which 
has had the greatest influence over the Albanians and especially to revive the 
"contact group" - consisting of the US, France, Britain, Germany, Russia and 
Italy - set up during the Bosnian war but has been almost redundant since the 
end of the Kosovo war. (Excerpts from Financial Times) European Commission 
president Romano Prodi ruled out sending extra financial aid to Macedonia on 
Saturday, stressing that the European Union was "not the Red Cross". However, 
Prodi said that he considered the Balkans had "virtual membership" of the EU 
and that the 15-nation bloc had a policy of "deep involvement" in the region. 
(Excerpts from AFP)

UN WILL SACK ALBANIANS IN KOSOVO POLICE 
THE United Nations is to dismiss 2,000 members of the Kosovo Protection 
Force, the province's Albanian-run local police. The move heralds 
fears that former KPF officers will destabilize the region by joining 
the National Liberation Army (NLA) of Albanians who have engaged in 
clashes with government troops in neighboring Macedonia. In talks on Friday, 
Hans Haekkerup, told Macedonian President Trajkovski that the KPF men were 
being released.
” What happened around Tetovo can be seen as the first battle in a greater 
Kosovo war," said Carl Bildt, UN special envoy to the Balkans. "We now have a 
pause which we must do everything we can to transform into peace." (Excerpts 
from Sunday Times) 

DO WE HAVE TO HAVE ANOTHER BALKAN WAR?
The issue posed by President Boris Trajkovski of Macedonia hangs in the air, 
imperfectly answered. "We cannot redraw borders and boundaries, making smaller 
units of ever purer ethnic states. We cannot survive as a region if ethnicity 
becomes the sole defining justification of statehood." But why not? As Carl 
Bildt, the former Swedish prime minister and now the UN Secretary General's 
Special Envoy to the Balkans, has pointed out, the key to Dayton was the US 
acceptance of a highly autonomous Republika Srpska within the framework of a 
very loose Bosnian state. Yet the historic argument for keeping Kosovo inside 
the new Yugoslavia is thin indeed. In the last century alone there were six 
wars between Kosovars and Serbs. Before that there had been 500 years of 
Ottoman rule, during the latter part of which the Albanians of Kosovar had 
asked unsuccessfully for autonomy. Moreover, Tito himself promised them the 
right to unite with Albania. The truth is the insurrection of the Albanian 
militants inside Macedonia is most likely a feint by the extremist wing of 
Kosovar nationalism. The question of a united Greater Albania and a rump 
Macedonia that is incorporated into Bulgaria, its historical homeland, perhaps 
cannot be deferred much longer. (Excerpts from Taipei Times)


c) SUPPLEMENT: "FAKTI"'S EMIN AZEMY'S COLUMN IN TODAY'S ISSUE

"While Others Prepare Own Platforms, We Keep Cursing Each Other!" 
By Emin Azemi 

The President of Macedonia Boris Trajkovski is about to complete the 
political platform through which he would gather the leaders of all 
political parties around the negotiating table. The need on compiling such a 
platform resulted from the newly created situation in Macedonia, as well as a 
result of the pressure imposed by the international factors. Although we still 
don
’t know the content of such platform, one thing is already clear: one cannot 
expect anything spectacular out of it. On the other hand, the Albanians expect 
from their legal representatives to solve their future in a best way possible. 
Albanians are fully entitled to demand from own legal and legitimate 
representatives to compete with the Trajkovski
’s platform by presenting own platform. Such platform would also serve as an 
agenda of demands and affinities during the eventual Albanian 
– Macedonian talks. 
Yet, instead of compiling such highly needed platform on the status of the 
Albanians in Macedonia, the legal and legitimate representatives of the 
Albanians in this country keep amusing itself by numbering and investigating 
spies and Mafiosi
’s on the other side, in the rival Albanian parties. Such behavior of Albanian 
political parties in the this particular moment when the political history of 
the Albanians in Macedonia goes through rapid and dramatic changes, cannot be 
considered otherwise but as unacceptable and fully counterproductive. If the 
Albanian political parties have no courage and no readiness to sit together and 
reach the minimum consensus, in such case they 
should better spare the Albanian population from 
launching poisonous arrows against each other. 
It is not in the interest of the Albanians, it 
is not in the interests of the Albanian 
electorate, from where the mandate of these 
political parties originates, to see, as the gap 
of misunderstanding grows deeper and deeper in 
this particular moment. (“FAKTI”)




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